Clash of the Cakes - Recipes for you!

Kilkenny is known for the clash of the ash, but we think it can safely be said it also takes the honour of being the Cat’s Meow when it comes to baking too! This year’s Little Mill / Savour Kilkenny baking competition was the biggest ever. We called on the young people of Kilkenny to give us a clash of cakes and that is certainly what we got! We had 65 entries and the standard was way beyond anything we could have imagined. The judges job was extremely difficult, and although the task wasn’t easy, an overall winner under each age category was chosen (under 18 & under 12) plus a number of runner up cakes. We would like to share with you the recipes from the winning entries over the next couple of weeks.

The winners were as folows:

Under 18’s

1st Adѐle Beubry

2nd Aoibheann Beubry

3rd Declan Murphy

Under 12’s

1st Louisa Bedrani

2nd Ava May O’Meara

3rd Sienna Gunner

So here you go, first up Louisa Bedrani’s Plum and Blueberry Upside - Down Cake.

Method Preperation:

In the prepared tin, combine 50g butter and 75g brown sugar. Place tin inside the preheated oven until the butter melts and begins to bubble. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together 75g butter and remaining 115g brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated.

Arrange plums around the edges of the prepared tin, overlapping slightly. Place the blueberries in the centre. Pour the batter into prepared tin, covering fruit completely. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer/cocktail stick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or ice-cream.

See below some more pictures from Clash of the Cakes 2016 but first up is Louisa Bedrani with her most delicious cake!

We were also very honoured to have Darina Allen and Rory O’Connell present the prizes. We sincerely thank both of them for coming and taking the time to do this for The Little Mill. I know they were really pleased to see the standard of entries and to get even more validation that baking is alive and well.